Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-04-08

command of the Utah expedition l
did not choose to select one only from my
army acquaintance, and l gave three
names. He said: DO you and Logan
ever agree about anything?' l said: 4
think so.' he replied: In this in
stance you have named the same three
men, They were Persifer Smith Ct
Louis ana, Albert S. Johnston and r. Z.
Lee. Johnston was selected. and he was
the best selection. He commanded the
expedition to Utah, and was made briga-
dier-ge0eral by brevet. So he had gone
to the highest grade next TO commander
in chief within short period after the
Mexican war. Previous to that he
had resigned from the army and
lost his position. When the war
between the states commenced
his rank and his reputation gave him the
right to believe and expect all that would
be given in the army of the United States,
but true to the chiValric nature of which
| have spoken and seeing 8 few states
asserting their rights to form govern
meut Johnston sacrificed all he had
gained in the United States army and
travelled across trackless desert 10 offer
his services to the minority struggling for
right. None who knew Sidney Johnston
could imagine him ignorant of the fact
that this smaller body of men without
arms, without navy, without workshops,
without material of war would have to
contend against terrible odds. On the
field OF Shiloh he made but
one mistake, he had planned
that battle, and sent me a telegram
which was lost which described it Just
as II was fought, the only battle in the
worlds history that was fought as the
general expected. Toe mistake he made
was IN allowing somebody else to direct
the order of march, so they did not get
to the field of battle as soon as they
should have arrived there. That one day
lost enabled Buell. to approach Grant.
Johnston was one day later in striking the
enemy, but ne struck when he could, and
the field was covered from point to point.
At one point held by the enemy an obsti-
nate resistance was offered. And now l
give my own theory in which,
perhaps, [ am Justified by my
intimate knowledge of the man and of
what he would do Uuder the circum-
stances. When he saw the stubborn re-
sistance, end went forward to direct the
operations himself, receiving then fatal
wound. | fully believe that if he had been
told: You can keep your saddle fifteen
minutes and cOnsummate this victory, but
If you do it is at the risk of your life,' he
would have said: I'll take the chances
Thus it was he remained in the saddle
until it was too late to afford him any re-
lief. When he fell one of the mighty pill
lars that supported the temple of the
Confederacy, and gave US reason to be-
lieve we would have won our fight in the
west, went down loved him as brother;
l honored him as man; l
admired him as a hero, but more than
all this l felt the sore loss to just cause
which was in existence when he died
My friends, have already said enough,
and you all know that Johnston led an
army which was composed of material
rapidly thrown together. One corps,
that commanded by the gallant and true
soldier, Bragg, was the only one which
had the advantage of thorough discipline.
Few who followed Johnston through
battle saw how he had gone forward step
by step until at last he was snatChed by
death from the very arms Of victory al
most compelled by his genius and your
valor, the valor of the army of
the Tennessee which, whether in ad-
vance or retreat received no stain to
transmit to the future general" Mr..
Davis continued at some further length.